Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada
Canada: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 19.31 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Canada recorded 19.31 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada peaked at 20.81 million tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.38 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places Canada 7th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.38 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 7.43 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 8.03 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1993 | 8.39 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 8.47 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 8.98 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1996 | 9.54 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 9.94 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 9.57 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 9.85 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 10.02 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 8.89 million tonnes | -11.3% |
| 2002 | 7.91 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 8.12 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 8.11 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 16.56 million tonnes | +104.2% |
| 2006 | 16.78 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 17.32 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 17.50 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 14.40 million tonnes | -17.7% |
| 2010 | 16.58 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 2011 | 17.56 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 17.23 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 17.75 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 18.40 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 19.18 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 19.48 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 20.09 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 20.81 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 19.89 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 18.76 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 19.52 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 19.24 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 19.31 million tonnes | +0.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 19.31 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 26.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +104.2% | 8.11 million tonnes | 16.56 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.76 million tonnes | 7.38 million tonnes | 9.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.56 million tonnes | 7.91 million tonnes | 17.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.70 million tonnes | 16.58 million tonnes | 20.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.21 million tonnes | 18.76 million tonnes | 19.52 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More climate change data for Canada
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.27 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 44,359 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,631 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,728 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,240 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 17,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,823 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 406.39 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 63.48 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Canada was 19.31 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 20.81 million tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.38 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Canada rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Canada ranks 7th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.